The best tip I can deliver today is to be open! Be open to a better way, to improving, to change, to evolving and take the risk and time of examination new ideas/processes. As a consultant working with a diversity of clients in many different vertical markets, there is one thing that is always the constant. Attitude! When new ideas or concepts are proposed, the comment will be, "We can't do it that way; we've always done it the way we are doing it." The mind is closed to the concept before the new idea has gotten any evaluation. Occasionally when the executive agrees that the new concept is a better way, the team in the distribution center doesn't agree and the executive is too busy to stay involved. Consultants such as myself walk away shaking our heads. A waste and disappointment, when a 50% reduction of labor can be made with no additional cost while improving customer service. Some examples: There was one facility where the new WMS would eliminate paper. In one room in this facility, there are row after row of filing cabinets not to mention the team of "people filing". When this was discussed during the implementation, you could see fear in the team: fear that the safety net of paper would go away. The executive, too busy to get involved, said, "Well, if they want the paper let them keep it". Yikes!

Another example: a facility had over 90% of their product shipping by parcel. The recommendation was to have it analyzed to see if there were savings, but the executive said, "I believe we negotiate well, no need". After explaining that savings were obvious, the comment came back we're too busy! Are you too busy to save money? Are you missing opportunities? Be open and realize that evolution of change and improvement adds big dollars to the bottom line.